The athletes' village built to house athletes and staff for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games may instead be used to house coronavirus patients, AP News (opens in new tab) reports.

The IOC announced that the Games have been postponed until next July and August due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The Olympic Games were scheduled to run from July 24 to August 9, with up to 11,000 athletes and staff expected to participate. The Paralympic Games were scheduled to run from August 25 to September 6, with 4,400 athletes and staff expected to participate.

The development, which was built on the Tokyo bayfront and is not yet complete, includes 24 buildings, but the rest will remain vacant until next summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games.

According to AP News, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike discussed the possibility of patients being treated for COVID-19 symptoms moving into the buildings.

"We are discussing places that are available today or tomorrow, and we are checking each possibility," Koike said in an AP News report. As an alternative to the athletes' village, he said, a hotel could be purchased to house patients.

According to the Health and Welfare Ministry, some 4,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in Japan, with 93 deaths. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may declare a state of emergency in Tokyo as early as Tuesday as an additional health precaution to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The athletes' village will eventually be called Harumi Flag. Developers said they have not heard from the city about the use of COVID-19 as a place to house patients, adding that it is speculation.

Tokyo Olympic organizers are reportedly spending more than $12.6 billion for the Games, including 40 competition venues; AP News reported that the postponement is estimated to cost between $2 billion and $6 billion.